John E. Franz

John E. Franz was an inventor, famous for discovering the herbicidal use of glyphosate while working at Monsanto in 1970. He was born December 21, 1929.

"Franz was born in Springfield, Illinois. He received his B.S. and Ph.D. degrees at the University of Illinois and the University of Minnesota. He commenced work at Monsanto Company in 1955 and retired in 1991. Franz was awarded the National Medal of Technology in 1987 and the Perkin Medal in 1990. He holds over 840 U.S. and foreign patents."[1]

Glyphosate and Roundup are marketed as safe and non-toxic but this is the subject of controversy.